- Roddrick POV -

I woke up just as the sun was peek through the windows. Checking the time on my bedside clock, it was 5am. Rolling over I realised I was still wearing my bag. Taking it off and tossing the bag into the corner, I lay on my back staging at my ceiling.

“Fuck” I whispered still depressed from the news I heard yesterday. Closing my eyes, I starting to relive my life so far. Orphaned at eight and then put through the system, going from on care home to another. Giving my all in educating myself to do something, getting a scholarship and studying towards a career in VR programming. Now if I was told this last year I would have been working a could have carried on working through this year to support myself in the final semester project, which could decide my final grade.

Opening my eyes I got up trying to decide how to move forward, shit happens And I feel most of my life has been one shitstorm after the other. Getting out of bed, I walked to the door. Trying but failing to open the door quietly, I quickly walked to the toilet to freshen up.

Finishing my business, I remembered I had not eaten since before my lecture. Reaching the kitchen I opened the fridge to find a portion of fried rice in tupperware with o note on the top.

‘Hey Dude, Heard what happened. Eat this and get back your energy then speak to me. Drey.’

‘My roomie is the best at cheering me up. Been with the guy for eight years since junior high, He’s like a brother to me. He knew exactly what was going on in my mind.’ I thought

Taking the fried rice out the fridge, I warmed it in our microwave and once warm I hopped on to the couch and started to dig in. Savouring the perfectly seasoned rice.

After finishing the rice, I zoned out a little closing my eyes and distracting myself from my worries. Slowly relaxing on the couch blissfully after my meal, I heard something from Drey’s room. A little worried as this was a lot earlier that he usually wakes up and not knowing him to bring company without putting a sock on the door handle, I walked toward his door.

Approaching the door and reaching for the handle the door swung open, giving me a jump. Stood in the doorway was Drey in all his six-foot glory with a frustrated expression on his face. I felt like a deer in headlights as I tried to compose myself. Drey looked up at me walking through the door now, his frustration turned into a concerned look as his hazel darted about the room.

"You okay Grear?" He asked patting my shoulder lightly and started walking past me to the couch to plop down

"I'm fine thought I heard some noise from your room and came to check if you were ok. You know with all the break-in's in the area." I replied as I followed him and sat on the recliner leaning back still satisfied from my meal.

"Nah, it's all good. Just got out of a sesh in Destas. What about you, heard about the budget cuts, you ok?" Drey asked with a knowing look.

"I don't know, hit me big yesterday and only calmed down after the rice. Thanks for that." I said grateful for his concern.

"No worries man. Anything for a brother, so what you going to do?" He again asked bring my concerns to the forefront of mind, I leaned forward to look at him.

"I have don't fucking clue bro. I got like two hundred to my name to last three months here and that got to keep me for food and as well as part of the rent here." I stated considering my finances.

"Don’t worry about the rent I squared it yesterday with the landlord yesterday and she was ok with me paying up front." Drey tried to reassure me but this only riddled me with guilt.

"Dude you didn't have to do that. I would have figured something out." I replied indignantly feeling that I had forced him to do something behind my back.

"It's all good dude, think of it as a temp loan if you want, ain't no issue at the moment with this new gig I'm doing. That’s why I got out of the game this early, needed to know if you had options yet or not." Drey grinned as he said that. I recognised that grin, it's the same grin he gave me before he gave me a hair-brained idea that we lived to regret.

"Go on get on with it. I recognise that smile, last time I saw it we got caught trying to sneak in to the girls' dorm at camp. Come on, get it out of your system so we can move on." I rolled my eyes as I snorted.

Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

"Well now if I recall correctly that was so you could confess to a babe and this time I think this is a good idea, not like we have to go through the woods to get to a girl's dorm guarded by a nasty ass matron." He huffed at me slightly.

"Well, go on then. I'm listening." I said looking at him still with that smug grin across his face.

"Ok then. Just listen to the end ok. I currently playing Destas a VR game that came out last week because a friend at work told me about it. Now the game has this auction house for player who are looking to earn some dollar from the game. Now, how it's been explained to me is that the company owning the game buy gold and other item from players for cash and then sell that on to other players at a margin price. I've been playing for a few days now and I've made about five hundred out of sales." Drey explained.

"That sounds too good to be true. Why would the company buy them and not just spawn some more instead?" I asked trying to find the catch.

"Well, the whole game is made by an AI out of Xerox Corp. And the AI's decided that players being able to buy everything thing ready-made will cause the game to go out of whack and also this incentivises players from actually exploring the game and there a lot in there." He replied away question.

I pondered for a few minutes, I knew of the company it was a family grown legacy and the current owner was Devros Novak also known as the Mad Nova. He genius if not cray scientist that had tested the limits of science in reality as much as he could so he created a VR world to run some of his more dangerous experiments. There was a whole module about him in my second year. I know he did create an AI that could control the wold he created and if he gave the AI free reign to create a VR world and then marketed that as a game, then this could be possible

I took a deep breath as I thought of the possibilities and then glanced back at Drey who was sat there still grinning away as watched me go through my thought process.

"Fine. The idea seems plausible and in all could use the stress relief while studying but I wouldn't be able to play that long as I really need to concentrate on studying." I gave him my opinion as I watched his grin get wider and wider as if he had just won something.

"That’s the beauty of it. The game has a four to one time dilation and it also puts you in a REM sleep cycle so you can be full rested physically even if mentally you just fought a horde of goblins." Drey beamed as if he had found the answer to everything. And at this point it was sound like he had as if I didn’t have to give up sleep I could study just as much in the morning and then play all night but be refreshed and I'd only have to worry about some exercise to keep myself from getting muscular atrophy.

"Ok, that would help as I could be doing a night job while still sleeping but I don't have enough to buy a Helm and without one this is just an improbable possibility." I sigh as I got up and walked to the fridge.

"Want a drink?" I asked while at the fridge, the cool air giving me comfort as the day started to heat up.

"Ah, Get us a Dr Spice, man." He said cheerfully.

Taking to cans of Dr Spice out of the fridge I passed him his drink and sat back in my spot. Drey seemed to be thinking something up and I could tell where this was going.

"No Drey. Don't even think about it. I am not letting you get me a Helm." I said sternly. I owed the man too much as it was and don't like being in debt.

"Hmm. It's too late man. I ordered you one for your birthday next week." He said dismissively not noticing my stunned expression.

"Dude. No that’s too much I am not letting you buy me a helm even as a gift. Return it." I ordered.

"Chill man. I didn't buy it on my own. You remember Mr Kumar. The guy whose robotic watering system went down in the mall just before Christmas time and how he was devastated as the tech guy could only come out in the New Years. Well the fix you did was checked out by the tech guy and he was like there was no reason to come down as the fix you did not only repaired but improved the system." Drey explained.

"So Mr Kumar's business has been booming after the Tech guy gave him a run-down of your upgrades and has made a killing. So, he wanted to thank you. I was working the arcade next door and he came over and said that you was a life saver and told me to pass you the helm when it arrived as he had ordered one for his nephew but got two through the mall." He continued.

I just stared at him, piecing together what I remembered from the encounter. I think I had just gone there to take a break from studying and met with Drey so that we could buy a bite to eat. We went to Kumar's the restaurant next door to the arcade that served good meals at a reasonable price and I saw he Mr Kumar was sat on the step in front of his shop. When I asked what's wrong he told me that the service drones system was down and I offered to look at it figuring that some fiddling would take my mind off my studies.

I repaired the system in half an hour and then notice that the drones all came with chilling option that had only been used to cool the drinks and I thought that though the lassi tasted nice I would prefer if it was a froyo dessert as it tasted too sweet with the food and began fiddling. An hour later and satisfied with my work I had coded the drone to now be able to serve any of the regular drinks as a slushed for an additional charge and also dispense lassi in froyo form but only the fruit flavoured ones as I though plain or salted ones would just be weird. Thinking that I should let the tech guy check my work I left a fil on the main server that would open when the tech guy accessed it to explain what I had done and to check if it would cause any issue.

"Well, fuck me. I was just playing around with some code and thought frozen lassi might be a good thing." I relented as I remembered what happened.

"So, then man. The balls in your court. If you want to call Mr Kumar and thank him that’s great, if not call him to return it." Drey said as got up and walked to the bathroom.

I just sat there for a while and then checked the time.

'Just turned 6am. Mr Kumar won't be awake yet. So, I got some time to decide what to do.' i mused to myself mentally.

'Let's just check out this game online for now to see what is being said.' I decided and walked back to my room.